Who has the best pulled pork sandwich in Iowa? This little restaurant in Marshalltown
Social media has spoken. Iowa has a new reigning champion for the best pulled pork sandwich in the state.
The Flying Elbow in Marshalltown took home the honors, besting restaurants across the state in the sixth annual Pulled Pork Madness contest from the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
The organization says that pulled pork was once just a rotating special on the restaurant’s menu. The cherry-wood smoked pulled pork comes with barbecue sauce and pickles for $8. Diners can choose a Hawaiian-style sesame seed burger bun or Texas toast.
“Gosh, what a cool honor,” said Garrett Goodman, owner of The Flying Elbow, in a news release. “Barbecue was kind of a Sunday tradition when I was growing up, and I love serving people the best food I can.”
The Flying Elbow took down The Lucky Pig Pub & Grill, Ogden, in the final matchup.
Nearly 160 pork fans nominated 63 Iowa restaurants at the beginning of the competition.
The two restaurants with the most votes in each of IPPA’s eight districts made up the Sweet 16 bracket with a winner selected on March 30.
What to know about The Flying Elbow in Marshalltown
The Flying Elbow got its start back in 2017 as a food truck that specialized in hot dogs, later adding burgers. The brick-and-mortar version of the restaurant opened in September 2021, and that spurred Goodman to buy a residential-sized smoker for barbecue specials.
Now he uses a 300-gallon wood-fired smoker to cook pork shoulders for his pulled pork and goes through about 120 pounds of pork every week.
Goodman seasons his pork with salt, pepper, and garlic, with brown sugar is sprinkled on to help ensure a good bark. It goes in the smoker for about 11 hours.
Previously: Who has the best pulled pork sandwich in Iowa? You can vote on your favorites
The Flying Elbow also serves the Pig Show with cheddar and Havarti cheeses, macaroni and cheese, pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and green onion as well as the Razor’s Edge, a riff on the Cuban with pulled pork, shaved pit ham, Havarti cheese, honey mustard barbecue sauce, dill pickles, and pickled red onion, served on cheddar jalapeño cornbread.
The restaurant received $250 and a Pulled Pork Madness plaque.
Of note, The Flying Elbow won the best burger contest from the Iowa Beef Industry Council last year.
Where is The Flying Elbow located?
Location: 229 N. 13th St., Marshalltown
Contact: 641-758-3235 or flyingelbowfood.com
Hours: Open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 9 p.m.
Who won Iowa's best pulled pork sandwich in the past?
Starbeck’s Smokehouse in Cedar Falls won in 2022.
Smokin’ Butt Barbeque in Davenport took home the top prize in 2021.
Luther's Whatcha Smokin? BBQ + Brew won top honors in 2020.
Warehouse Barbecue Co. + Brewhouse in Ottumwa nabbed the plaque in 2019.
Moo's BBQ in Newton won the first contest in 2018.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Marshalltown's The Flying Elbow is Iowa's best pulled pork sandwich
